2005 HONDA ODYSSEY Complaints

I PURCHASED A NEW 2005 HONDA ODYSSEY EXL-RES ON 7/21/05 AND I'VE HAD A CONSISTENT PROBLEM EVER SINCE. FROM THE FIRST DAY I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE FROM CLINTON HONDA'S PARKING LOT I IMMEDIATELY EXPERIENCED EXCESSIVE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION. IT WAS HORRIBLE AND STARTED AT 65 MPH AND CONTINUED TO 75 MPH. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE VERY NEXT DAY AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS OUT OF BALANCED WHEELS -- EACH WHEEL WAS OFF BY 30 GRAMS. THAT SAME DAY I TOOK THE VEHICLE HOME AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND ASKED TO SPEAK WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THE WHEELS ZEROED OUT AND HE DIDN'T FEEL THERE WAS ANYTHING ELSE HE COULD DO. I INSISTED THAT HE REPAIR THE PROBLEM SO HE TOLD ME TO COME BACK A WEEK LATER AFTER HE SENT A MECHANIC OUT FOR TRAINING ON THEIR HUNTER WHEEL BALANCING MACHINE. I RETURNED A WEEK LATER AND THIS TIME THEY ROAD-FORCED BALANCED THE TIRES AND FOUND THEM TO BE 10 GRAMS OFF EACH SIDE. THEY ALSO FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE ISSUE WHICH SUGGESTED A TOE ADJUSTMENT -- WHICH THEY PERFORMED. I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN EXPECTING THE PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED BUT IT WASN'T. INSTEAD, I NOW HAVE AN ADDITIONAL PROBLEM WHERE THE VEHICLE PULLS EXCESSIVELY TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT DEPENDING ON THE CURVATURE OF THE ROAD --WHEREAS BEFORE IT WOULD KEEP ITS INTENDED COURSE. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN -- THIS TIME TO SPEAK WITH MY SALES PERSON AND THE SALES MANAGER. THE SALES PERSON ACCOMPANIED ME FOR A TEST DRIVE TO WITNESS THE PROBLEM. HE NOTICED THE PROBLEM AS I DID SO HE SUGGESTED THAT WE TEST DRIVE ANOTHER ODYSSEY TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM IS SYSTEMATIC. WE DROVE A GOLD COLOR ODYSSEY (BOTH HIM AND I) AND THAT VEHICLE DID NOT EXHIBIT THE PROBLEM. ALSO, I MENTIONED TO THE SALES PERSON THAT THE SLIVER DEMO I INITIALLY DROVE DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM EITHER. *NM

DT: THE PROBLEM BEGAN LAST OCTOBER THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE DOOR BEING LOOSE FROM THE TRACK. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALER 5 TIMES. THE DEALER JUST TIGHTENED THE BOLTS. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HONDA. UPON INVESTIGATION THE OWNER FOUND OUT THAT OTHERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THERE HAVE BEEN RECALLS 99V15800 AND 99V159000. HONDA DENIED ANY PROBLEMS. HONDA STATED THAT THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO CAUSE A RECALL. SOMETIMES THE CHILD HAS TO HOLD THE DOOR SO IT WONT COME OPEN. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE FIRST DAY. THE DEALER REPORTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THEY WERE ADJUSTING THE STRIKER. *AK *NM

WINDSHIELD CRACK FROM THE LOWER PASSENGER SIDE AND SPREAD UPWARDS FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 9 INCHES.

2000 HONDA ODYSSEY DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WITH FILLING THE 20 GALLON GASOLINE TANK. *MR *SC

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON JULY 25, 2005. HE STATED THAT WITH ONLY 750 MILES ON THE VEHICLE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THREE PEOPLE FROM THE DEALERSHIP DID AN INVESTIGATION ,TWO PEOPLE CONFIRMED THE FAILURE AND ONE DID NOT. THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING A SOUND WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH, IT LIKE A VERY LOUD HUMMING NOISE. HE HEARD THE NOISE THE DAY BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AT 40 MPH, AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME HE HAD HEARD THE NOISE AT A LOW SPEED. IT OCCURRED MORE TRAVELING UP OR DOWN A HILL OR WHEN YOU PUT STRESS ON THE ENGINE. THE DEALERSHIP DID SOME ADDITIONAL TESTING AND DID NOT HEAR THE NOISE THE FIRST TIME. THEY DID NOT HEAR IT THE SECOND TIME. THE THIRD TIME THEY DID HEAR THE NOISE. AFTER THE ADDITIONAL TESTING THEY FOUND THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS ONE OTHER COMPLAINTS FILED WITH THE NHTSA ON THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. INITIALLY, THIS VEHICLE WOULD DO THIS SOUND MORE OFTEN AT HIGHER SPEEDS. BUT SOMETIMES IT OCCURRED AT LOWER SPEEDS AS WELL. *AK

I BOUGHT A NEW 2005 HONDA ODYSSEY EX-L AND DROVE IT ON ONLY 2 OCCASIONS. THE FIRST TIME I DROVE IT, I HAD THE WINDOWS BEHIND THE FRONT SEATS DOWN AND NOT ONLY WAS THE NOISE LEVEL EXTREMELY HIGH, BUT IT CREATED SOME KIND OF VIBRATION OR PRESSURE CHANGE WHICH CAUSED EXTREME PAIN TO MY EAR DRUMS. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, I DROVE IT AGAIN, TRIED ALL COMBINATIONS OF ROLLING DOWN WINDOWS BUT AS LONG AS THE BACK ONES WERE DOWN, THE VIBRATION/PRESSURE TO MY EARS WAS INTOLERABLE. I HAD THROBBING IN MY EARS FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND IT FINALLY LED TO AN EAR INFECTION. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF DARLING'S HONDA (THE DEALERSHIP IN BANGOR, MAINE) AND TO AMERICAN HONDA. THE DEALERSHIP HAS TRIED FOR 3 MONTHS TO TRY TO FIND AN ALTERNATE VEHICLE FOR ME. HOWEVER, AMERICAN HONDA SAID THEY WOULD DO NOTHING AND THE VEHICLE DESIGN IS NOT DEFECTIVE, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE HEARD SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS. APPARENTLY RUPTURED OR PERFORATED EAR DRUMS ARE NOT CONSIDERED A HAZARD TO THE HONDA COMPANY. I NOW HAVE A NEW CAR I CANNOT USE UNLESS IT IS TOO COLD TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS, OR SO WARM THAT THE A/C IS THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE, BECAUSE IT IS A HAZARD TO MY HEALTH. *JB

MY 14-YEAR OLD BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE SEAT BELT IN THE 3RD ROW PASSENGER-SIDE SEAT OF OUR NEW HONDA ODYSSEY VAN. THE SEAT BELT WAS WRAPPED AROUND HIS WAIST. THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO GAIN ANY SLACK TO LOOSEN THE BELT. ALL ATTEMPTS TO LOOSEN (BY FEEDING IN SLACK TO GAIN RELEASE) ONLY MADE THE BELT TIGHTER UNTIL MY CHILD WAS LITERALLY HANGING FROM THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED ON AN INTERSTATE, 8 HOURS FROM HOME. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO CUT THE BELT TO RELEASE HIM. (I HAPPENED TO HAVE A KNIFE IN THE CAR, WHICH IS VERY UNUSUAL.) I HAVE ASKED HONDA TO REPAIR THE BELT. THEY HAVE OFFERED 50% ONLY. I AM MORE CONCERNED THAT THERE IS NOT A MANUAL OVERRIDE TO ALLOW THE SEAT BELT TO BE RELEASED. I UNDERSTAND NOW THAT THE SEAT BELT GOES INTO A DIFFERENT MODE WHEN EXTENDED ALL THE WAY. IT WILL NOT RELEASE UNTIL THE BELT IS RETRACTED ALL THE WAY. IT SOUNDS LIKE HONDA HAS FIXED A SAFETY ISSUE CONCERNING CHILD CAR SEATS, BUT THEY HAVE CREATED A NEW SAFETY HAZARD FOR ALL CHILDREN. WHAT IF THE BELT HAD GOTTEN WRAPPED AROUND HIS NECK? ANY CHILD PLACED IN A SEAT BELT HAS THE POTENTIAL OF PULLING THE SEAT BELT OUT ALL OF THE WAY AND ALLOWING IT TO GET WRAPPED AROUND THEIR BODY OR NECK.*JB

WHEN BRAKING, SEVERE GRINDING NOISE RIGHT FRONT. DEALER SAID CALIPERS WERE LEAKING ON TO PADS CAUSING NOISE. REPLACED CALIPERS AND PADS. LASTED A WEEK, SAME NOISE, DEALER AGAIN REPLACED PADS AND CALIPERS. SAID THEY HAVE HAD A LOT OF COMPLAINTS BUT DON'T KNOW WHY IT IS HAPPENING. NOT A SAFE CONDITION. *NM

INSTRUMENT PANELS AUTOMATICALLY ILLUMINATES DIMLY WHEN THE DOOR OPENS AND COMPLETELY BRIGHTEN UP ONCE THE KEY IS INSERTED INTO THE KEY HOLE. THIS AUTOMATIC FEATURE USUALLY CAUSES MOST OF THE DRIVER THAT I KNOW TO DRIVE THE CAR AT NIGHT WITH THE HEADLIGHTS OFF BUT THINKING THAT THE LIGHTS ARE ON BECAUSE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS BRIGHTLY LIT. *JB

DT: CONTACT TOOK HIS CAR TO THE SERVICE DEALERSHIP ON 8-1-05 BECAUSE HEARD A BUBBLING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR. DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS VIBRATION THAT WAS COMING FROM THE FUEL TANK. THE CONSUMER ASKED FOR A LOANER VEHICLE AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, AND WOULD NOT GIVE HIM A LOANER. THE DEALER COULD NOT GIVE CONTACT A SPECIFIC TIME WHEN THE CAR WILL BE REPAIRED, AND THEY WANTED HIM TO DRIVE AROUND WITH THIS FUEL TANK PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER SAID IF THE DEALER FELT IT WAS SAFE, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THERE HAD BEEN OTHER HONDAS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM.*AK